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Unless you’ve been living in a deep, dark cave… You may have noticed that there is a lot of cool stuff going on out there. So, we thought it was high-time we started rounding up some of our faves each Friday. Every month, we’ll be choosing a theme that fits with the Osprey lifestyle. Now that it’s October, we find ourselves looking up at the sky looking, waiting for signs of winter… so we’re dedicating this month to that big, beautiful sky. Welcome to the Osprey Friday Round-Up!

This week one of our reps turned us on to this awesome photo of the Aurora Borealis, or Northern lights, up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Thanks to a massive solar storm on Monday, the sun is in an active phase right now, leading to displays of Northern lights as far south as Alabama. The Northern lights are caused by charged solar particles colliding with atoms in the upper atmosphere near the North Pole.

Here’s a few more images of this spectacular light show in action this week… along with some words of wisdom via Grist.org: “Just a little reminder that there’s no point in trying to save the planet if we don’t occasionally pause to enjoy it.”

As an athlete, I try to be in control of almost every aspect of my life, from when I go to bed, to what I eat, so on race day, I know exactly what I can bring to the table. Starting a college career is a little mindboggling. Midterms, papers, and extraordinary amounts of reading call for late (or) sleepless nights and classes demand an early wake up. When you combine those together with the fact that all your friends are present as distractions at any and all times, you have a seriously unpredictable existence.

The nice thing about colleges these days is that they have great methods for introducing you to this organized chaos – freshman outdoor orientation trips. I showed up for check in as overwhelmed as any, and was relieved when the trip leaders called us into our specific groups so the awkward mulling around could end. After introductions and some entertaining sleepaway camp styled games, the trip leader, Jeremey asked if anyone knew the time. In sync, a few of us pulled up our sleeves and informed him of the time, but to our surprise, instead of ending there, he took our watches. The first rule of trips, Jeremy informed us, was that there was no time.

Time was my anchor, my sensation of control. How I would function was something that was way beyond me. I had camped before, but always with the security blanket of my watch. Taking away my watch not only exposed an untanned stripe, but it also exposed my distrust of my own body clock. Throughout the next week, I learned how to let time go. Even though the sun might be directly overhead, if I wasn’t hungry yet, I didn’t feel compelled to eat. Or if we were at camp and I was exhausted, I took a nap. By the time I got back from our orientation, I didn’t know whether I wanted to cover up my newly sunburnt wrist, and even though all the midterms, papers and readings might have me dependent on my watch once again, I definitely plan on going watchless more often. If only for an overnight or just a lazy Sunday hike with friends.

23 feet is film about a community of people who have made the conscious choice to live simply in order to do what they love in the great outdoors. Three women set out across the west in their 23-foot-long, 1970 Airstream to search for the stories of people who have turned their backs on the creature comforts of society to live in school buses, vans, and other small spaces. From an inspiring campfire chat with legendary Yosemite climber Ron Kauk, to hearing the powerful story of a woman who changed her whole life for surfing, 23 feet gives an intimate look at the ups and downs of dedicating your life to your outdoor passion.

Buy your copy over on Red Reel’s website. If you buy today, you’ll be entered to win a hot, new Flap Pack!

We loved this photo that the Adventure Journal posted last week. The message on the wall of the Erste Liebe (“first love”) bar in Hamburg, Germany is a perfect start to this lovely day. Now, get on your bike and feel good today!

Every Wednesday on Ditch Your Car we’ll be bringing you just another reason to spend more time on two wheels. Be it a photo, a statistic or an inspirational video, we want to keep reminding you about why riding is great!

We’re working with American Whitewater to protect a river close to home — the Dolores River. But today, we’re pretty excited to celebrate with them on a momentous victory in the Northwest. Today at 1p.m. Mountain Time, Condit Dam’s de-construction will begin with a boom when crews blast a tunnel through the 95-year old, 125-foot dam.

Boaters, flyfishermen, and long-time community members are looking forward to a White Salmon River that once again flows freely. Documentary film-maker Andy Maser is tracking the story of Washington’s effort in his beautiful “Year of the River” series.

Stay tuned to Andy Maser’s website for first images from the blast, and you can also watch the main event live on the American Rivers website.

I did my best to approach the trip without expectations, to just walk and see what happened if I kept an open mind. Since getting home about a week ago and having some time to reflect, I’ve realized that whatever expectations I didn’t shake were greatly exceeded by how much I enjoyed the trip. It changed everything for me… Here are a few big realizations about America that I got out this trek…

People are good.

Everyone has a story.

America is full of beauty.

It may not take a walk across America to find those things, but Nate’s story serves as a good reminder to keep exploring, listening and taking in the beauty of whatever place it is that you call home.

One of our friends in Seattle, Washington sent us this photo she took last week. With the sherbet-colored sunset, the Olympic Mountains reaching into the sky and a tiny, neon cyclist riding through, we think this shot is pretty great. Happy Monday!

Have a lane that you love? Send us a photo! You can post it to our Facebook page, shoot us an email at blog[at]ospreypacks[dot]com or upload to our Flickr group and we might just feature it here on our weekly photo feature, Lane Love.

Life is pretty short and sharing a Himalayan summit with good friends is rare — coveted even. Especially when an avalanche expedites your descent as the series ending reveals in Season 3 of Ski The Himalayas. Such is the nature of adventure sometimes. I grew up listening as GI Joe said “knowing was half the battle”… well, sometimes we see the other half, and we learn more from that “knowing”.

For me, it’s how you get there, how you get back and what you experience in between. That’s why I like sharing these videos — so that others can learn from our mistakes! In this dialogue-driven episode, the outcome of our original plans becomes murky as we figure out that this will be no routine expedition. As the team stages for trekking to the region of Mustang from Jomosom, Nepal, we see how too many cooks in the kitchen and not enough translation can change travel direction quickly when you leave Kathmandu in the trekking high season.

Unless you’ve been living in a deep, dark cave… You may have noticed that there is a lot of cool stuff going on out there. So, we thought it was high-time we started rounding up some of our faves each Friday. Every month, we’ll be choosing a theme that fits with the Osprey lifestyle. Now that it’s October, we find ourselves looking up at the sky looking, waiting for signs of winter… so we’re dedicating this month to that big, beautiful sky. Welcome to the Osprey Friday Round-Up!

Shot in South Dakota in early February with most nights sub zero with -25 F wind chill, this video is a beautiful prelude to the coming winter months… though we’re not quite ready for this kind of cold.

We love riding our bikes, and sometimes we like to get a little adventurous… like riding with no hands. So when we stumbled across this awesome video over at Copenhagenize, we had to post it. How to ride your bike with no hands and look awesome while doing it. Watch. And please be careful if you try this at home…

Every Wednesday on Ditch Your Car we’ll be bringing you just another reason to spend more time on two wheels. Be it a photo, a statistic or an inspirational video, we want to keep reminding you about why riding is great!